Marin Readers' Forum for Nov. 25

The Nov. 17 Marin Voice column by Eric Swift used name-calling as a tactic, both in the opening and the closing paragraphs.

This tactic is usually used by people who do not want to have logical discussions of the facts, but want to stop all discussion by labeling the other party.

Mr. Swift's statements that likens Citizens for Sustainable Pension Plans to a "tea party"-affiliated organization are absurd, and simply demonstrate that he knows nothing about this organization.

CSPP is a relentlessly nonpartisan true "single issue" group.

One example of this is that the CSPP endorsed Greg Brockbank in the San Rafael City Council race in the recent election, and Mr. Brockbank touted their endorsement in his campaign advertising.

Mr. Brockbank was unarguably the most liberal/progressive of all of the four candidates running for City Council in San Rafael. He certainly would not have accepted or advertised CSPP's endorsement if he thought they were a "tea party" organization.

CSPP endorsed him and another candidate after interviewing all four candidates, and deciding that it liked these two candidates' positions regarding pension reform.

They did not endorse Mr. Brockbank or the other candidate (Randy Warren, arguably the most moderate/conservative of all of the candidates) because of their positions on any issue other than that of pension reform.

Jackie Schmidt, San Rafael

Thanks to Barbara Heller

On behalf of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, our board of directors and our entire membership of nearly 600 businesses and organizations, we would like to publicly thank City Council member Barbara Heller for her outstanding service to San Rafael.

For over 20 years, Barbara has been a steadfast supporter of her constituents and her community. She has been both thoughtful and courageous on business-related issues.

Being re-elected four times to public service is a testament to Barbara's commitment and integrity.

The chamber has long supported and applauds council member Heller for her dedication, conviction and perseverance. We are truly fortunate to have Barbara Heller leading our community.

The local business community wishes to express its gratitude for Barbara's two decades of service and commitment to San Rafael.

We are grateful to council member Heller, along with former Mayor Al Boro, for providing a strong foundation of cooperation and collaboration.

We look forward to working with our current mayor, existing and new council members to continue to improve our community's economic and overall vitality.